Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-02-10
INDUSTRIAL TOPICS.
A Fertilizer to Which Little At
tention is Paid in The west.
Alfalfa of No Material Value Where Grass
and Red Glover Can Be Raised.
MARI as a Fertilizer.

Mari is name given to a natural
mixture of carbonate of lime and sill
ciolis sand. According as the lime.
clay, or sand predominates the mari is
classed as calcareous, clayey. or sandy.
The carbonate of lime is often in the
form of minute shells, whose structure
may be clearly seen by the aid of
magnifying-glass. A very valuable
mari, known as green sand," is found
in many parts of New Jersey. 1t is
the result of decomposition of rocks
containing lime and silica, In portions
of Canada a whtish clayey mari is
found which produces excellent results
when applied to land devoted to grass
or grain. The value of mari as fer
tilizer was known to the ancient Ro-
mans 1t was also used by the ancient
Gauls and Britons though they prac-
tised a very rude sort of husbandry and
made very little use of common ma
nure. In Germany. France and Great
Britain much attention has been given
to mari. Specimens from all the large
deposits have been analysed in order
TO ascertain their commercial value. In
many places where there are good ia
clities for transportation it is an arti-
Gle of commerce, and many marl-beds
are sources of wealth to their owners.
That vast quantities of excellent mari
exists in various parts OF the west is
altogether likely, though few attempts
have been made to discover or utilize
them. Mari is often found at the bot
tom of peat or muck swamps, and in
ravines and other low places. 1t is
generally found quite near the surface
being covered by some vegetable form
ations. Sometimes there is nothing
but turf of grass over it. 1t is ordin.
arily of slate or bluish-white color,
heavy, wet and somewhat spongy. Its
surface is sometimes blackened BY the
dark soil that rests upon it or the hui
mus that has been deposited on it. On
exposure to the air on dry spot of
land it parts with its moisture and be-
comes a white. crumbly mass, and quite
light in weight. In this condition it is
easily spread over the land. tits n
common practice to dig mari in the fall,
TO draw it to the place where il is want
ed, and to allow it to remain in heaps
like manure till the following spring,
when it is spread over the green sward
or plowed land. If the land is billy or
sloping. most of the mari is applied to
the higher portions, from which it will
gradually find its way to those that are
lower. On level land it should be
spread uniformly over all the surface.
To distingu sh mari from whitish
clay or sandy loan it is only necessary
to pour any kind of acid on a sample
of it placed in cup. II it is mari it
will effervensce like ordinary limestone
or carbonate of soda. This effervensce
is caused by the escape of carbonic acid
from the carbonate of lime, of which
the mari is largely composed. If there
is much effervesensce the mari is con-
sidered rich; if there is but little it is
regarded as poor. The value of mari
is generally rated by the amount of
carbonate of lime it contains. Shell
mari generally contains a small guam
tity of phosphoric acid, which is very
valuable for producing all kinds OF
crops, but is especially valuable for in
creasing the yield of grain. Mari pro-
duces excellent results when applied rs
top dressing TO grass lands, either
pasture or meadow. 1t stimulates the
growth of grass and clover and causes
them to kill out weeds and MOSES. 1t
does not cause grass and clover to grow
rank as they do when fresh dung is APP
piled to The so ], neither does il impart
disagreeable flavor to them. Like
other forms of lime, it corrects the
acidity of soils and improves the quality
while it increases the quantity Of the
most valuable plants. Grass on land
that has received one application of
sweet and thick.
Mari should not be mixed with ordin-
airy manure, as it is likely to drive of
the ammonia it contains. If mixed
with beat or muck, however, itproduces
a good effect. Applied to land under
cultivation. it benefits the soil in two
ways. 1t is of physical advantage in
rendering hard, clayey so is moore
loose, so they can be more readily
worked. Chemically it affords food to
most plants. as the grains, grasses, and
clovers. while it performs an important
Office in Fastening the decay of vegeta-
BILE matter on which plants feed. Cold
and damp soils are greatly benefited
by an application of mari. Ii neutrali-
yes the acids found in humus and ena-
bles it to produce valuable crops. An
application of mari to land produces an
immediate effect on the crop growing
on it. Its beneficial influence also con-
tinues for many years. The more often
IL is disturbed by the pillow, cultivator.
or harrow the faster will it disintegrate
and the more effectua will be its re-
suits It's tendency is to sink on light
soils. especially when they are under
cultivat on, but the pillow will serve to
bring it to the serface again any time
it is used. Mari is the cleanest fertili-
yer, except gypsum, that can be applied
TO the land. 1t is also very easy to
handle.
Culture of Alfalfa.
A subscriber at Mineral Point Wis.
desires to know what kind OF grass Is
l,ost m raisa in copuootion with alfalfa